NEW: CBS Slammed For Blurring Black Murder Suspect’s Face While White Suspects Are Showcased

The suspect in the murder of 32-year-old Brooklyn activist Ryan Carson, identified as 18-year-old Bryan Dowling of Brooklyn according to NBC News, was arrested Thursday with video of him being led from his home going viral online. However, in a notable departure from earlier ‘perp walks’ (one recalls that of Daniel Perry, arrested for defending subway riders from a violent man,) Dowling’s face was censoriously blurred by local CBS 2 News.

Now, the station is catching considerable heat for its apparent difference in standards.

In an exclusive comment to Trending Politics News, a CBS 2 newsroom correspondent told us by phone, “We had our reasons at the time and that has changed, but tune in at 5 o’clock … at 5 o’clock you will hear more. That’s all I’m going to give you,” before abruptly ending the call.

Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA suggested the suspect’s race could be a factor, asking pointedly, “CBS blurs out the face of the black man who allegedly murdered leftwing activist and ‘poet’ Ryan Carson with a knife in New York City. Ask yourself: Would CBS blur the assailant’s face if he were white?”

CBS blurs out the face of the black man who allegedly murdered leftwing activist and "poet" Ryan Carson with a knife in New York City.

Ask yourself: Would CBS blur the assailant's face if he were white? pic.twitter.com/3BGKKL7iI5

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 5, 2023

In a now-deleted post to X, formerly Twitter journalist Greg Price wrote, “On the day that Daniel Penny was arrested in New York City after defending people on a subway from a maniac threatening to kill them, this very same CBS affiliate did not “blur out his face while charges are pending,” implying this was the reasoning given by the CBS station. 

Andy Ngô, Editor-At-Large of The Post Millennial, wrote, “Some local media captured the moment when the Brooklyn murder suspect of antifa activist Ryan Carson was arrested by the NYPD. CBS New York censored Brian Dowling’s face.

“Neither Carson’s BLM-activist girlfriend Claudia Morales nor the police have addressed rumors that she was uncooperative in the early investigation. Originally, law enforcement sources told media the police did not have a physical description of the “person” (no gender) who stabbed Carson.”

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1710015964283056170

Chris Menahan of Information Liberation suggested in a post that the news outlet could be following guidelines from the Poynter Institute which following the death of George Floyd called for “media outlets to avoid ‘amplifying narratives that connect Black and brown communities to crime.'”

CBS New York likely blurred Ryan Carson’s face because they’re following the Poynter Institute’s post-Floyd guidelines for media outlets to avoid “amplifying narratives that connect Black and brown communities to crime.” pic.twitter.com/cvaMNmlreW

— Chris Menahan 🇺🇸 (@infolibnews) October 5, 2023

According to Poynter, the special interest group has helped ” 44 newsrooms reform their work,” and as Menahan suggests, CBS Channel 2 New York could in fact be one of those 44 newsrooms, and given the prominence and fame of that particular affiliate, this seems quite likely.

Kelly McBride, who chairs the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership at Poynter, said, “Local news reporters have amplified narratives that connect Black and brown communities to crime. As a result, we have fostered systemic racism through our crime coverage.”

Competing outlet Fox5NY conversely published uncensored images of Dowling in its online coverage of the arrest. Prominent UK publication The Daily Mail did the same, including the uncensored video in its coverage.